The present invention relates to manifolds for heat exchangers and the like and, more particularly, to manifolds which mate with the plurality of tubes of a condenser or the like to supply the condenser with fluid and remove it therefrom.
Heat exchangers of the type to which the present invention pertains are commonly used in vehicle, industrial and residential environments for heating and cooling purposes. Typically, these installations utilize a plurality of tubes to form a condenser or the like by having the fluid pass through a series of these tubes which are each generally bent in a U-shape. In order to connect these tubes together so that the fluid will flow through the series of tubes, manifolds are used which have a series of openings corresponding to and mating with the ends of the tubes. The manifolds have an inlet end and an outlet end which circulate the fluid through the heat exchanger and then returns it to a remote location for subsequent recycling.
Such manifolds are typically used in pairs with one being connected to one end of all of the tubes and the other being connected to the other end of all of the tubes, and with one of them having the fluid inlet and the other having the outlet. The manifolds are either made to receive the tubes in holes or inwardly extending circular flanges formed along their lengths or are provided with tubular extensions which either receive or are received in the tubes.
The manifolds which have holes or circular flanges for receiving the tubes are typically formed of a seamless tube in which the holes are punched out and the flanges formed with a die. The manifolds having extensions are made in at least two pieces with the extensions being formed from a pressing operation from a piece of sheet metal, from brazing or otherwise securing short seamless tubular extensions to holes in a larger tube, or from a bending operation in which half of each of the tubular extensions is formed from a piece of sheet metal which also forms half of the main body of the manifold and then the two halves are welded or otherwise secured together.
There are problems associated with each method of construction of these prior art devices. For example, the more seams that are needed to construct the manifold, the more likely it will be to have leaks. Also, manufacturing efficiency is substantially affected by the number of operations which have to be performed in constructing such manifolds and affixing them to the tubes of the heat exchanger.